• adCenter Community, Thursday, August 28, 2008 4 PM

Kate Newton takes a U.K.-based look at pre-holiday PPC preparation in this post, but notes that the overlying themes would also work stateside. First, use a service like Hitwise (or tools that plumb the engines' historical data) to find out when the searches for holiday-related terms start to spike. If it's early October, you may want to start running your targeted campaigns.

Then, comb the news to find out which products and services have been generating the most hype. "Encourage customers to pre-order and buy early to avoid disappointment through your ad copy," Newton says. And don't forget about delivery--including crafting ad copy about your "free delivery," if you offer it. You should also use copy to ensure consumers that their gifts will get to their destinations on time, and that your payment systems are secure.

Lastly, start optimizing your campaigns before the Christmas rush. "This is so that a strong history of data can be accumulated to give campaigns a competitive and robust footing in the auction environment in preparation for the peak shopping days," Newton says.

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